


Beginner's Luck

by xtwilightzx (blackidyll)



Category: Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Genre: Edgeworth's infamous chessboard, M/M, Pre-Apollo Justice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-11
Updated: 2012-11-11
Packaged: 2017-11-18 10:16:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/559887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackidyll/pseuds/xtwilightzx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Something wrong with my chess set, Wright?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beginner's Luck

**Author's Note:**

> I think it is some unbreakable law that in the life of every P/E author, they will write at least one fic about Edgeworth and his infamous chessboard~

Miles Edgeworth was all in the support of change when it was necessary, but unless it was something as monumental as revolutionizing court procedures to further improve the justice system, or making personal adaptations to become a better prosecutor, Miles preferred to stick to his routines, walking the familiar paths of his day to day life, and taking comfort in his morning cup of Darjeeling and the secure weight of his favorite fountain pen.   
  
So when his relationship with Phoenix, well, advanced, Miles continued to snark at the defense lawyer for his lax ways, continued to pretend to ignore the other man as Phoenix waited for him to finish off his day's work. So what if Miles found his gaze returning time and again to Phoenix as he fingered idly through Miles' law books and tried his best not to fidget? He wasn't going to neglect his work (even though if Miles was honest with himself, not throwing Phoenix out of the room was already out of character for him).  
  
But when Miles noticed that Phoenix was fidgeting less and less with the law book and staring more and more at the chessboard and the red and blue configuration on it, he folded his documents away and went to sit next to the defense lawyer on the couch.   
  
"Something wrong with my chess set, Wright?"   
  
"Hmm..." Phoenix hummed, and reached over to brush his fingers over the blue pawn in its lonely stance against the circle of red knights. "You know, I don't think that's possible."   
  
Miles glanced at his many, many knights with their sharp and pointy edges, and smirked. "Really? Do tell."   
  
"Yeah, well, for one, I'm pretty sure it's against the rules to have this many knights on the board." Phoenix paused for a moment, then rubbed at his head sheepishly. "Right?"   
  
The look on his face must have been ferocious, because Phoenix shuffled away until his back hit the couch's arms, and then Miles' fingers were wrapped securely around the knot of Phoenix's tie and pulling him to his feet, taking care that he wasn't choking the defence lawyer.   
  
Well, not too much, anyway.   
  
"It's blasphemous that you don't even know the simple rules of the game, Wright!" Miles pushed Phoenix into the armchair and began to clear the board. "Chess is a game of strategy and intellect. I had assumed that you possessed as much, but it seems that I am mistaken, as I always seem to be when it comes to you."   
  
Phoenix was giving him a look that was mixed with a hint of a challenge, some self-consciousness and a whole lot of amusement. "Hey, chess isn't exactly what most kids play with. I guess I just missed out on the good old chess class or something."   
  
Miles tried his best not to clench his fingers too tightly over the blue pawn. His set was custom made, elaborately carved and tailored to his specifications, and even though he had spare pieces for his own indulgence, he didn't want to damage them. He positioned the pieces up in front of Phoenix like a line-up for judgment. "I trust you know that the two colors represent the different sides?"   
  
"Of course I do, what do you take me for? ... Actually, don't answer."   
  
"This is a rook, the knight and bishop. Each side has two of each. The king and queen are, of course, unique, and then each side has pawns. Many, many pawns."   
  
Phoenix tore his eyes away from his study of the board. "What did the poor guy ever do to you?"   
  
"Hmph." Miles settled himself into his armchair and set out the board swiftly.   
  
"So, you're teaching me how to play." It wasn't even a question; Miles decided to ignore the happy, light tone in Phoenix's voice and focused instead on the way Phoenix had returned to looking at the board appraisingly.   
  
Well, he didn't have much success with Gumshoe, against whom he had to work twice as hard to not beat in three minutes flat, but Miles hoped Phoenix would pick up the game fast enough to be a challenge at some point down the road.   
  
"Why not?" he said.  
  
He spent the next ten minutes explaining the moves each piece was allowed to make, spared another five outlining the basic strategies, then took a minute to bait Phoenix into a game, since throwing someone into the deep end was the best method of learning.   
  
Fifteen minutes after that found Miles staring at the chest board, his lone red king confronted by a spiky-haired pawn and the blue queen, Phoenix having taken out Miles' knights and queen a few turns ago.   
  
"Check...mate?"   
  
It took a moment for the word to sink in, and Miles snapped his eyes up to meet Phoenix's gaze.   
  
Miles bit the inside of his cheek for a moment before saying in a low but clear voice, "I resign."   
  
Never let it be said that Miles Edgeworth didn't know when to retreat from a losing battle.   
  
"What, really?" Phoenix looked startled for a moment, before a smile coalesced to life on his face, and Miles had to turn away lest that pleased smile woke a matching one on his own face. It was - well, pleasant, to see Phoenix this happy over the game, and it soothed Miles' ruffled pride. Maybe. A little.   
  
Actually, no, it still rankled. How the  _hell_  did Phoenix do that all the tim--   
  
Miles' thoughts broke off when Phoenix pushed back his chair from the table and settled warmly onto his lap, leaning back against the chair's arm and grinning at Miles from inches away. "Hey."   
  
Miles cleared his throat. "Yes, hello, Wright, what do you want?"   
  
Phoenix stretched out one arm to touch the abandoned pieces, rolling the red king idly through his fingers. "What do I get?"   
  
"Pardon?"   
  
"I was attentive and a good student and I played a game of chess well enough to beat even you, so I should get something, right?"   
  
Miles couldn't pinch at the bridge of his nose with Phoenix in the way, so he settled with gripping the chair's arms instead. "I don't think you knew half the moves you were making."   
  
Phoenix paused in his fiddling with the pieces, then laughed. "Yeah, that's about right. Was pretty much just moving my pieces wherever it seemed like they needed to go. And I won, even though you were obviously taking it easy with me. I don't think I can do it again."   
  
"I did not--" Miles began, before Phoenix cut him off.   
  
"But it still counts. I won, Miles, so I want something. From you."   
  
Miles glanced at his desk, his paperwork lying idly upon it, and tried for a moment to ignore Phoenix's warm weight. Then he caught Phoenix's blue-eyed, half-lidded gaze, and damn the man for his ability to throw Miles into conflicting emotions with the flick of a hat.   
  
"Oh-- fine," Miles said, and tucked his hand behind Phoenix's head and pressed his lips to Phoenix's mouth, feeling Phoenix's hands flush against his chest and the grin on Phoenix's lips.   
  
It was minutes later, after Phoenix pulled away to press kisses to the skin above Miles' cravat that Miles sees it: the blue pawns surrounding the red knight on the chessboard.


End file.
